India drags US to WTO over work visas

New York, March 4 (IANS) India has dragged the US to the top global trade arbiter over a dispute on temporary working visas, the World Trade Organisation said on Friday.

India has filed a complaint against the US for imposing increased fees on certain categories of temporary work visas for the US and limits on their numbers, a move that has hit India’s export-driven IT outsourcing firms, reports the BRICS post.

A WTO statement said India has alleged these measures appear inconsistent with commitments that the US has made by treating persons from India working in sectors such as computer services less favourably than US citizens.

The US had 10 days to respond to the request, which will go to the Dispute Settlement Body if India and the US cannot come to a satisfactory agreement.

The US Congress in December doubled the cost of sponsoring workers under short-term H1B and L1 visas, and spurred concerns of future curbs on IT workers sent overseas by US companies before the US presidential election.